Knitting machine



H. H. HOLMES ET AL Feb. 22, 1944.

KN ITTING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 22', 1944.

H. H. HOLMES ETIAL KNITTING MACHINE 4 Sheet s-Sheet 2 Filed July 15,,1942

J47 firm ms K. W W

Feb. 22,- 1944. H. H. HOLMES ETAL 2,342,541

KNITTING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 max meg k/W M W,

@JJWM Patented Feb. 22, 1944 KNITTING MACHINE and John Cyril Herbert Henry Harold Holmes Hnrd, Leicester,

and Company Limited British company England,

assignors to Wiidt Leicester, England, a

Allpllca on July 15, 1942, Serial No. 451,044

ti In 14 Claims.

This invention appertains to knitting machines and has reference particularly to such machines of the type adapted to produce knitted fabric with purl effects.

The object of the invention is to improve knitting machines of the type referred to in such a way as to increase their patterning scope as will be hereinafter described. 7 According to this invention a knitting machine of the type concerned is equipped with stitch or loop transferring instruments, means for operating the same, and lap or wrap striping or embroidery mechanism. a

The invention may be applied to a flat or a circular links and links knitting machine, 1. e. a machine having two needle beds with double- Great Britain Jul! 25, 1941 ended needles which are actuated indirectly through jacks or sliders so as to enable needles to be transferred from one bed to the other for the purpose of enabling loops to be cast off the needles in one direction on one course and in the reverse direction on another course. Thus by appropriate prearranged or selective transfer of needles from one bed to the other certain needles can be caused to produce purl stitches while others knit plain stitches and many and diverse purl stitch effects can be produced, for which purpose the machine may be equipped with automatically controlled transfer cams, or selective needle transfer mechanism for action upon butts on the jacks or sliders in the manner well understood in the art. In pursuance of the invention such a machine is also equipped with stitch or loop transferring mechanism and with lap or wrap striping or embroidery mechanism which may be of any appropriate character adapted to suit the requirements of the machine to which it is to be applied, for the purpose of supplying an embroidery thread or threads to prearranged or selected needles.

The stitch or loop transferring mechanism may be of the form comprising an appropriate number of transfer instruments independently operable in conjunction with the plain needles of the machine, and means for operating the said instruments suchwise that upon actuation thereof the transference of loops from desired wales to adjacent wales is effected. Preferably these instruments are so formed and arranged as to be adapted upon appropriate actuation thereof to effect thetransference of sinker wale loops to adjacent needle wales to formpelerine stitches. Sinker Wale loops by reason of such transference are, of course, meshed with adjacent knitted loops as a result of which holes or eyelets are formed in thesinker wales. Accordingly, by effecting loop transference at different wales and in different courses a diversity. of

.openwork effects can be produced.

The transfer instruments may be of any form suitable for the intended purpose. Advantageously, however, the said instruments may be formed at their operative ends with laterally oflset or like loop-expanding portions adapted to position loops thereon for engagement by needles to which transference is to be effected. For example, each instrument may have a curved, bowed or arched formation the opposite ends of which are substantially in the same straight line.

If desired, the instruments may be used in pairs, 1. e. left hand and right hand, so as to enable a loop thereon to be spread laterally in opposite directions for transference to adjoining needles.

To enable a diversity of pattern or fancy effects to be produced the transfer instruments may be selectively operated, such for example as by means of a patterning device or pattern controlled cams or other parts or ,members' adapted to operate upon butts on the instruments.

The lap or wrap striping mechanism may be of that form comprising any suitable number of individually operable thread guides, e. g. one for each needle, or a plurality of needles, means for selectively operating the said guides and means for operating the needles so that selected threads are lapped or wrapped round corresponding needles, whereby when said needles are caused to knit, embroidery stitches are produced by said needles in addition to stitches formed of the main yarn or yarns ordinarily supplied. Alternatively, means may be provided forselectively operating needles, e. g. advancing or retracting them in relation to the guides, so that only desired needles receive embroidery threads.

In the case of a multi-feeder circular links and links knitting machine, all of the lap or wrap thread guides may be continuously actuated seriatim and, starting with all of the needles in the plain cylinder, selected needles may be transferred to the rib cylinder, so that at a following feeder the needles so transferred draw loops in the rib direction to produce pattern effects and only the plain, i. e. unselected, nee- 'dles are wrapped with embroidery thread. In

this instance, although lap 0r wrap thread guides move out between those needles knitting in the rib cylinder, the presence of said needles will prevent the guides. from completing their wrapping action so that as a consequence they will be withdrawn at the same side of the needles at which they moved out.

The invention may be applied to knitting machines having a single feed or two or-more feeds, of either the rotary or stationary needle cylinder type and having latch or bearded needles.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and readily carried into practical effect, an example thereof applied to a circular links and links knitting machine of the superposed rotary needle cylinder type will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings,'wherein,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of so much of the said machine as is necessary to illustrate:

the application thereto of the present invention, Figure 2 is a detail vertical sectional view showing one of the pelerine instruments within the dial and the collecting track to which operating butts on selected ones of said instruments are directed as will be hereinaffter described,

Figure 3 is a plan view partly in section of so much of the dial cam system of the machine (with a portion of the dial cam plate broken away) as is necessary to show the cams at two feeds for actuating both the pelerine instruments and the lap or wrap thread guides,

Figure 4 is a detail transverse sectional view taken on the line VII-VII of Figure 3 showing a door in the dial cam cap for the purpose hereinafter specified,

Figure 5 is a development of the plain and rib knitting cam systems of the machine at the said two feeds,

Figure 6 is a detail vertical sectional view showing the.rtary selecting device employed in the selective transference of needles from the plain cylinder to the rib cylinder to produce purl stitches.

Figure 7 depicts the form of inside holding down sinker or web holder provided at the point where transfer instruments are advanced for the transference of loops to needles,

Figure 8 shows the said sinker or web holder as it appears when moved forwards, and

Figures 9 and 10 are plan and side'elevational views respectively of the constructional form of shogging mechanism shown in Figure 1.

Like parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout the drawings.

In Figure 1 the rotary plain (bottom) and rib (top) cylinders of the machine are indicated at 2 and 3 respectively. One of the double-ended needles is shown at 4, and and 6 represent bottom and top needle-operating sliders by means of which the stitch forming movements are imparted to the said needle and also by means of which the needle can be transferred from one cylinder to the other, it being understood that needles are transferred from the plain cylinder 2 to the rib cylinder 3 in order to produce ribbed fabric and purl stitches, according to requirements.

For selecting the needles 4 for transference to the rib cylinder 3 to produce purl stitch eifects, the machine may conveniently be equipped with selective needle transfer mechanism of'the form described in prior United Kingdom specification No. 391,212. Thus, there is provided for action on the knitting butts I of the bottom sliders 5 one or more patterning units such as that indicated at 8 in each of Figures 5 and 6. The or each patterning unit consists of .a rotary selecting device comprising a sleeve 9 (Figure 6) in which pivoted needle engaging jacks it are carried. This sleeve is fixedly mounted'on an obliquely disposed axis and adapted to be positively driven from the rotary plain'cylinder 2. The jacks l0 engage the knitting butts I aforesaid and are themselves actuated selectively by means of a pin drum or equivalent, in a manner fully described in United Kingdom specification No. 282,904, to effect the re ired selection of the bottom sliders 5. Associa d with the or each patterning device 8 is an auxiliary transfer cam II.

The machine has a plurality of feeds, e. g. four. The development of the knitting cam systems at two feeds J and J is shown in Figure 5. Of .these two feeds, J is a. plain feed and J a design feed. It will be observed that the pattern device 8 is located just .beyond the plain feed, 1. e. between the two feeds in the direction of rotation of the needles which is indicated by the arrow K. The rib and plain knitting cam systems indicated generally by the references L and M respectively at each of the feeds are of usual construction and arrangement. During the production of fabric with purl stitch effects or purl designs all of the needles I knit plain at the feed J and, by reason of the selective action of the pattern device 8 at the design feed J, selected needles form purl and the remaining needles form plain stitches to produce purl fabric. For example, referring to the feed J assume that all of the needles are in the plain cylinder 2 and that the knitting butts I of their bottom sliders 5 are being acted upon by the plain stitch cam' l2 of system M, while the knitting butts iii of l the top sliders 6 are passing idly over the rib stitch cam l4 of-system L. Then, as the bottom sliders 6 travel in the direction of the arrow K, the knitting butts I leaving the plain feed J will be engaged by a cam 24' whereby the said sliders will be raised to clearing height and their knitting butts thereby brought into the range of the pattern device 8.. The latter will thereupon act selectively upon the butts 1 as shown at N so. that the corresponding lower, 1. e. transfer, butts i5 will be landed onto the auxiliary transfer cam H as shown at 0 whereby the corresponding needles will be caused to ,be engaged by the corresponding top sliders 6 which are positioned at clearing height by a cam I6 acting on their knitting butts IS. The non-selected bottom sliders will, of course, remain at clearing height as shown at P so that their transfer butts l5 pass below the cam H as shown at Q. The result is that at the next feed, 1. e. the design feed J, selected needles are caused to knit in the rib cylinder 3 while the remaining needles knit in the plain cylinder 2. In a machine having. four or a larger even number of feeds, by reason of the provision of a pattern device adjacent to alternate feeds, all the needles may be caused to knit plain at alternate feeds, while at the intermediate design feeds selected needles form purl stitches, and the non-selected needles form plain stitches. In a two feed machine having only one pattern device 8, all of the needles would knit plain at one feed while at the other feed selected needles would knit purl and the remainder would knit plain. After disengagement of the needles from the selected sliders the latter are pulled down again as they approach the feed J by action of a cam edge I! on the butts i5. The character of patterning just described produces a plain pattern on a ground of ordinary purl. If, however,

it desired to produce ribbed patterned effects on patterning feeder to draw loops in the rib direc-i tion at the adjacent or at the next non-patteming feeder. k

The transfer of needles from the rib cylinder to the plain cylinder, as and when required, may be effected in the usual manner. For the pur pose of transferring needles from the plain cylinder to the rib cylinder for rib knitting, transfer cams of usual construction and arrangement-in addition to the patternin means-are preferably provided. Thus, in the illustrative arrangement depicted in Figure 5, transfer cams I3, l9 and 20 are provided in the top cam box. The cam 13 effects the transference of the selected needles back to the plain cylinder 2 after knitting in the rib cylinder 3 at the design feed J, preparatory to knitting in the cylinder 2 at the plain feed J A bottom transfer cam 2| is provided Just beyond the auxiliary transfer cam ll.

A welt cam such as 22 is provided in the rib cam box at the or each design feed, and similarly a welt cam such as 24 is provided in the bottom cam box at the or each plan feed, said cams being adapted, when withdrawn, to admit the corresponding slider butts to non-knitting or welt tracks 23 and 24 so that knitting is suspended on the corresponding needles at the time required for any desired number of courses for the purpose of forming a welt.

In accordance with the present invention the machine is furnished with pelerine stitch mechanism of the character described in the specification of co-pending United States application Serial No. 393,614, which resulted in Patent No. 2,286,806, and also with lap or wrap striping mechanism of the form described in the specification of co-pcnding United States application Serial No. 404,923, which resulted in Patent No. 2,292,941. In this connection there is a plurality of transfer instruments 25 interspersed with lap or wrap thread guides 26 in the same bed or carrier 21. As shown in Figure 1, this bed or carrierconsists of a horizontally disposed dial which is mounted within the needle cylinders 2 and 3 concentrically therewith. The dial 21, moreover, is of ring-like form and attached at its inner periphery to the rim portion 28a of a wheel 28. The central hub portion of this wheel is perforated as at 28b (Figures 1 and 3) to assist in guiding the embroidery threads et to the thread guides 26 from bobbins, cones, spools or reels (not shown) carried by a structure arranged above the top plate 29 of the machine. The wheel 28 is secured to the lower end of a central spindle 30 associated with the said overhead structure. The upper face of the dial 21 is formed with radial tricks or grooves 21a (Figures 1 and 2) for reception of the transfer instruments 25 and the thread guides 26. Instead of being interspersed in the dial the said instruments and guides may be arranged in definite groups or panels. In any event, the dial 21 is formed at its outer periphery with a flange 21b to enable it to be additionally supported between an annular support 3| and a clamping ring 32 which latter are secured together by screws 33. The annular support 3| is also flanged at Ma so as to enable it to be arranged for movement circumferentlally between two superposed supporting rings 34 and 35 attached both to each other and to the lower end of the rib cylinder 3. This construction is such as to enable the instruments and u des 'in the dial 21 to be shogged in relation to the needle cylinders by mechanism hereinafter to be described. The dial 21 normally rotates with the said cylinders and is located at such a level that the operative extremities of the transfer instruments 25 and thread guides 26 are projectable and retractable in the space between the opposed needle cylinders, that is to say, in' this particular instance, between the clamping ring 32 and thenibs 36a of inside sinkers or web zholders 3 associated with the plain cylinder As will be appreciated from a consideration of Figures 2 and 3, each of the transfer instruments 25 is of blade-like form and at its operative end 25a is laterally offset so as to have an arched formation the opposite ends of which are in alignment with the remainder of the blade. The tip of the instrument is in the form of a nib 25b and the instrument also has a loop en"- gaging shoulder 250 (Figure 2) at a suitable distance from the tip. The upper edge of the instrument is so formed as to provide thereon an operating butt 25d for engagement with suitable operating cams presently to be described. If desired, and as shown in Figure 3, the transfer instrumentsmay be used in pairs i. e. left hand and right hand, so as to enable a loop thereon to be spread laterally in opposite direcr .tions for transference to adjoining needles 4.

Each of the thread guides 26 isalso of bladelike formand, as shown in Figure 1, is recessed at 260. at its lower edge in the region of its operative end suchwise as to provide at said end a downwardly directed right-angular extension 26b which is laterally bent in the manner depicted in Figure 3. This extension is thereby obliquely disposed with respect to the main portion of the guide, and has formed therein two thread receiving holes 31 disposed one above the other. A further hole 38 is formed in that portion of the guide adjacent to the extension 26?). As in the case of the transfer instruments, the upperedge of each thread guide 26 is so formed as to provide thereon an operating butt 280, but whereas the butts 25d on the transfer instruments are short, the butts 26c on the thread guides are long for a purpose hereinafter to be explained.

In association both with the transfer instruments 25 and the thread guides 26 there are provided selector jacks 39 with selecting butts 39a thereon suchwise that when assembled the selectors present banks or groups of butts respectively in different planes for action upon by respective selecting earns 40 and 41 (see more particularly Figure 3). Each of the instruments and guides is cut away as at 42 (Figure 2) on its undrside to accommodate the corresponding selector jack 39 and to present a shoulder 43 against which the forward end of the said selector can act. At its rear end each of the selector jacks is formed with a right-angular extension 391) upon which the selecting butts 39a are formed. These butts are provided at respectively different levels so as to be located in correspondingly different planes heightwise. If desired, and as shown in Figure 1, the selector lacks may initially be formed with a full complement of frangible butts 39a which can be readily broken off according into diilerentplanes. For convenience in operation, however, the selecting butts 39a are divided into upper and lower groups R and S, the'butts of one of these two groups serving the transfer instruments and the butts of the other group serving the thread guides. Thus, the movements of the selecting earns 45 and 4| at each feed are restricted,each cam-being movable only to such an extent as to enable it to be moved into any one of the planes of the butts in the corresponding group. By this safeguard it is consequently impossible to effect a selection either of the transfer instruments orof the thread guides by the wrong selecting cam.

Alternatively, instead of providing selector jacks, the selecting butts maywbe provided directly on the instruments and guides themselves.

In any event, each of the selecting cams 45 and 4! is attached to the lower end, 4411 of a vertically disposed operating rod 44 which is suitably influenced by a compression spring 45 and arranged to slide within an upwardly projecting annular flange 45a formed on a stationary dial cam plate 45. The operating rods extend to the top of the machine and are pattern controlled through any suitable intermediate connections from a device or unit all substantially as described in prior specification No. 404,923 aforesaid. a

The dial cam plate 46 is fixedly supported immediately above the dial 2'! and on its underside is furnished with cams for action on the operating butts of the transfer instruments and thread guides. The underside of the cam plate and the tricked face of the dial are closely opposed, the cam plate being anchored by a link 41 (Figure 3) one end of which is fixed by a screw 48 to the flange 45a aforesaid, while the other end is secured by a screw 49 to a lug or like part such as 50 on the fixed supporting ring indicated at 5| in Figure 1. The last mentioned ring is rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the lower end of a sleeve 29a which is integral with and depends from the top plate 25.

All of the operating butts 25d and 250 are normally located in a common track from which they are diverted selectively by the respective selecting camse for admission to dial cam systems whereby the requisite advancing and retracting movements are imparted to selected instruments 25 and guides 26, and to which track the said butts are eventually returned for re-selection. This will be clear from a consideration of Figure 3 wherein it will be observed that the common track, which is indicated at 52, is concentric with respect to the central axis of the machine. Fully retracted transfer instruments 25 with their operating butts 25d in the track 52 are shown at T. Assume now that the selecting cam 40 at either of the feeds J or J is rendered operative to select transfer instruments at that feed: then the said cam will act on the appropriate butts 39a and thereby push forward the corresponding selector jacks 39 suchwise as to eifect partial advancement of the desired instruments (at the location marked V in each of Figures 3 and 5) to an extent just suflicient to enable yarn 1/ to be collected, i. e. laid over, their nibs 25b and to direct their operating butts 25d into a track 53. Partially advanced transfer instruments are shown at V, and at this stage in the knittin operation the nibs of such instruments function as sinkers over which sinker loops are drawn in the manner indicated at 81 in Figure 5. The said track 53, which for convenience may be termed the collecting track, determines the extent of the endwise movement of partially advanced transfer instruments and maintains the latter in this position until the operating buttsv 25d concerned are eventually acted upon by a cam v54 which functions fully to advance the selected instruments to the extent shown at the location marked W. By reason of such advancement, sinker wale loops previously drawn over the nibs 25b are caused to slide back along the instruments until they are caught and held by the loop engaging shoulders 250; In this way the sinker wale loops are spread laterally suchwise as to 5 enable them to be readily penetrated by rising plain needles. A sinker wale loop .91 which has been spread laterally in opposite directions by a pair of instruments for transference to two successive plain needles 4| is depicted in Figure 5. Immediately after the operating butts 25d of selected transfer instruments leave the cam 54, they are acted upon by acam 55 and returned to the common track 52 with the result that the instruments are withdrawn to their original positions for se-selection. Distended sinker wale loops are thereupon left on the appropriate plain needles and subsequently meshed with knitted loops in needle wales to form pelerine stitches in a manner well known to those acquainted with the knitting art. In the case of a multi-feeder machine, selected transfer instruments may collect yarn and have sinker loops drawn over them more than once at the locations V of successive feeds before transferring the loops to needles at .a location such as W. Thus, in the specific example illustrated, there is only one advancing cam 54, this being provided at the transfer feed J. Consequently, if only a single loop was required to be collected on an instrument 25, then that instrument would be selected at the said transfer feed. But if two loops were required on an instrument the latter would have to be selected at the first feed (J in advance of the transfer feed suchwise as to enable the instrument to collect one loop at each of the two feeds J and J before transference at the location W, and so on-depending on the number of loops to be collected, and the number of feeds available. Although the simple arrangement shown includes onlyone advancing cam 54 with its associated retracting cam 55, it is to be understood that cams of this character movable into and out of operation according to requirements may, if desired, be provided at each feed. Referring now to the lap or wrap thread guides 25, it will be seen that when such guides are fully withdrawn (as at K, Figure 3) their long operating butts 250 are in the common track 52. If, therefore, the selecting cam 4| at a feed is rendered operative it will act on appropriate butts 39a and so actuate the corresponding selector jacks 35 as to move desired guides 25 radially outwards to an extent sufficient to land their operating butts 25c onto an advancing cam 55. This cam will thereupon fully project the. selected guides to carry their embroidery threads et across the needle circle from the inside to the outside thereof, after which a retracting cam 51 by contact with the butts 250 will withdraw the projected guides radially inwards to their original positions and thereby restore the said butts to the common track 52 for re-selection. In this known manner each of the selected guides laps or wraps its thread around the adjacent plain needle, the relative lateral defiection between the guide and the said needle effected by the coaction of the latter with the laterally bent extremity 26b of the guide during its radial movements serving to facilitate the wrapping action. The advancing and retracting cams 56 and 51 at each feed are of less thickness than the remaining cams carried by the dial cam plate 45 so that they will miss the short operating butts 25d on the transfer instruments. Consequently whenever butts 25d are travelling in the collecting track 53 they can safely pass beneath the cams 55 and 51 without interference therefrom.

At the feed J (or at each feed of the machine where plain needles are to receive expanded sinker loops) the plain cylinder cam system M, as shown in Figure 5, includes an adjustable plain stitch cam 58, an associated so-called feeder cam 53 for directing the knitting butts I of the bottom sliders into the range of the said stitch cam, a cam 60 for raising plain needles to tucking height in order to open their latches, a cam 5! just in advance of the location W for lowering said needles again so that selected transfer instruments 25 can be safely advanced over them byihe cam 54 at the feed, and a cam 62 for raising needles to such a height as to pass them through expanded sinker wale loops on appropriate transfer instruments. The embroidery thread wrapping position, which is indicated at Y in Figure 5, is at the latch guard 63 in advance of the plain stitch cam 58.

At the point W where transfer instruments 25 are fully advanced at the or each feed, the appropriate sinker or web holder 36 is formed with a front portion 36b of such angular form as to prevent expanded loops from sliding beneath the said sinker or web holder at such times as the latter moves forward. In Figures '7 and 8 such a sinker is shown in its retracted and advanced positions respectively.

To enable the transfer instruments 25 and the thread guides 26 to be projected between the lower end of the rib cylinder 3 and the nibs of the inside sinkers or web holders 36, it is necessary to provide a fairly considerable space between these parts. This can be done either by omitting a verge which would normally be associated with the rib cylinder or by appropriately shortening the latter. In either event, in lieu of the customary verge or verge portion, there are provided independently slidable top sinkers or knockingover bits such as 64 (Figure 1) which are mounted in the lower end of the rib cylinder and furnished with operating butts 64a to enable them to be rendered operative seriatim during the production of purl stitches or rib'knitting. For the purpose of holding down the fabric at such times as loops are being drawn by rib needles each of the top sinkers or knocking-over bits 64 is formed at its lower end with an inwardly directed radial extension 64b. These extensions are disposed at right angles to the main portions of the sinkers or bits and are of such length as effectively to prevent purl or rib loops drawn over them from becoming displaced and sliding up along the back edges thereof. For operating the top sinkers or bits 64 there is provided below the rib stitch cam M at each feed a cam 65 for action upon the butts 64a to depress same seriatim at the stitch drawing location. A cam 68 disposed immediately beneath the top sinker cam 65 serves to guard the butts 64a during depression of the sink ers or bits 64 and, immediately thereafter, to raise said butts again in an idle track 6!.

A hinged door 68, provided in the fixed cam plate 46, is adapted to be positively opened and closed by means of a screw 69 operable through a rod 10 home readily accessible part of the machine, the door when opened providing a space for the insertion orremoval of transfer instruments and thread guides into and from the dial 21. The door 58 fits in a recess 46?) formed in the'cam plate 46 and is arranged to turn on a hinge pin H which latteris formed at its opposite ends with ears Ha by which it is secured by screws I2 (Figure 3) to the said plate. The cam 56 at the appropriate feed is attached to the lin derside of the door by a screw I3 and is consequently withdrawnat least partially-from the cam plate whenever the door is opened. In this connection the cam plate is also formed with an opening Me of such shape and size as to permit of withdrawal of the cam 56. The screw 89, the lower end of which is appropriately formed for engagement with the end of the door remote from the hinge pin 7L. extends up through the flange 45a and is adapted for co-operation with the rod H! in the manner shown in Figure 4.

Means may be furnished in the machine for effecting shogging movement of the transfer instruments or/and the lap or wrap thread guides and the appropriate needle bed, one in relation to theother, i. e. varyingthe relative positions of the instruments or guides and the associated needles laterally so as further to diversify the transfer effect or/and so that different threads may be supplied to the sameneedles in order to produce contrasting, e. g. different coloured, effects in the same needle wales. For instance, in a circular knitting machine of the characterby shagging the said instruments or/and thread guides circumferentially over one or more needles.

In the specific example illustrated, provision is made for shogging the dial 2'! so asto shog both the transfer instruments 25 and the thread guides 26 circumferentially over one or more plain needles. The shogging mechanism employed will now be described with reference to Figures 1, 9 and i0. This'mechanism includes a stepped cam M which is mounted to turn about a fixed vertical stub axle 15 carried by a bracket 18 attached to the top of the upper dial-supporting ring 35. To prevent it from turning too freely about the stub axle 15 the cam 14 is recessed at 14a to house a member I! which is arranged to produce friction or impart pressure between the said cam and the upper end of the stub axle. A small plate I8 serves to maintain the friction or pressure member H, in position. The cam 14 is formed with a plurality of stepped formations 14b half of which slope downwardly in one direction while the remainder similarly slope in the opposite direction (see Figure 9). Mounted beneath the stepped cam is a disc cam 19 a portion of the periphery of which is formed with a series of contiguous shallow recesses 19a. The disc cam is connected with the stepped cam so as to turn therewith, and provision is made for relative adjustment between its lower end with an eccentrically disposed or i cranked portion a arranged to project downwardly into a slot 19b formed in the disc cam I9 I eccentric pin 9|.

(Figure 1) a saw out is formed in the upper end of the connecting pin on to enable it to be turned, and a grub screw 3 I, inserted in the stepped cam, serves to set the pin Ml securely in position after adjustment. Thus, by turning the pin it in one direction or the other, the disc cam 18 can be advanced or retarded slightly and thereby accurately set with respect to the stepped cam I4. Immediately above the stepped cam is located a block 82 through which extend a pair of spaced rod-like plungers or tappets t3 and 84 (Figure 1) arranged for action upon the stepped formations Mb. This block is carried by the flxed supporting ring 5|. One of the plungers or tappets, 83, is longer than and connected with the shorter plunger or tappet 84 by means of a connecting link 85. This link is pivoted centrally upon a lug 82:; formed on the block 82 so that when one of disc cam 19 will be turned to the required extent in one direction, whereas upon similar movement of the other tappet or plunger the stepped and disc cams will be turned in the reverse direction. Screw and slot connections are provided between the plungers or tappets 83 and 84 and the connecting link 85. Referring to Figures 9 and 10 it will be seen that the disc cam 19 is arranged for action upon rolls 86 carried by an arcuate slide 81 which is mounted for movement within a recess 16a (Figure 1) formed in the bracket 16. Retaining strips 88 and 89 attached to the top of the bracket 16 serve to prevent heightwise displacement of the slide 81. A lug or like part such as 90 is secured to the annular support 3| and connected to the slide 81 by means of an adjustable Each roll .6 is of such size that it will seat in one of the shallow recesses 19a in the disc cam 19. As will be appreciated, the con struction and arrangement of the 8b agin mechanism is therefore such that by e cting movement of the disc cam to a required extent in one direction or the other, the slide 81 will be correspondingly operated to impart a shoggingmovement to the dial 2?.

If, as may be, the transfer instruments and thread guides are mounted in separate beds or carriers, the shogging mechanism may be employed only in conjunction with the lap or wrap striping mechanism.

Instead of being actuated by slidable jacks such as 89, the thread guides 25 may alternatively be adapted for engagement near their operative ends with selectively operated pivoted lac? 0r the main portions of the thread guides tl'ien'iselvcs may be arranged substantially oi the needle cylinders and movable radially for wrap ping their threads around desired needles in the manner described in United dtates specification No. 2,065,469.

Since, as already alluded to herein, it may be desired to form separating or parting courses, e. g. on plain needles, or to supply a draw thread, any conventional means suitably controlled and operated may be adopted in the improved machine for this purpose.

' aaiaosi Provision may also be made in the machine for varying the quality or the fabric, e. g. for knitting areas with purl effects and open stitch effects with or without embroidery eflects slacker than rib courses, and in a circular machine such means may be of the term disclosed in the aforesaid specification No. 391,212.

its will be understood, the needles of the machine, the transfer mechanism and the thread lapping or wrapping mechanism may be so controlled as to enable the purl stitch effects and the additional effects to be restricted to a particular areaor areas, and an area or areas of plain stitch fabric or any conventional stitch variation, such as tuck eflects, miss-stitch efl'ects, mock rib eii'ects, or combination'or stitch yariatlons, as well understood in the art, or/and ordinary or fancy ribbed eflects with or without welts andscparat ing or parting courses or the introduction of draw threads, to be produced in desired longitudinal sequence.

If desired, the machine may include means for efifecting shogging movement of the needle beds one in relation to the other so as to enable racked rib and like efiects to be produced.

What we claim then is:

1. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, atQeast two needle beds, needles for operation in each of said beds, means for supplying main yarn to said needles, meanstor operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch efiects, means for operating needles to form loops from saidyarn, independently 0perable p transfer instruments associated with the needles and over which some of the loops can be drawn, the said instruments being arranged to work in pairs and one of the instruments of each pair being formed at its operative end with a loop expanding portion oflset laterally to the right-hand side whereas the companion lnstru- I ment of the pair is formed at the corresponding end with a similar loop expanding portion ofiset laterally to the left-hand side, means for eflecting co-operative operation of the loop transfer instruments and needles suchwise as to enable a loop to be spread laterally in opposite directions on the loop expanding portions of any desired pair of transfer instruments and transferred to two adjoining needles, and means for feeding embroidery threads to desired needles and causing the latter to take said threads.

2. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, at least two needle beds, needles for operation in each of said beds, means for supplying main yarn to said needles, meansi'or operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating needles to' form loops from said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments associated with the needles and over which some of the said loops can be drawn, means for effecting co-operative operation of the loop transfer instruments and needles to enable a loop to be transferred laterally from any desired transfer instrument to an adjacent needle, a plurality of individually operable lap thread, guides for feeding embroidery threads to needles, means for operating said and for actuating needles so that desired embroidery threads are lapped around corresponding needles, means for selecting the transfer instruments, other means for selecting the thread guides, and, in association with said instruments and guides, jacks provided with patterning butts disposed so that when the jacks are assembled they present groups of such butts respectiveiyin different planes for action upon by the respective selecting means.

3. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, at least two needle beds, needles for operation in each of said beds, means for supplying main yarn to said needles at at lea'st one feeding station, means for operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, other means for operating needles to form loops from said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments associated with the needles and over which some of the said loops can be drawn, means for effecting oo-operative operation of the loop transfer instruments and needles to enable a loop to be transferred laterally from any desired transfer instrument to an adjacent needle, a plurality of individually operable lap thread guides for feeding embroidery threads to needles, means for operating said guides and for actuating needles so that desired embroidery threads are lapped around corresponding needles, jacks which are provided in associ'ation with the transfer instruments and the thread guides and furnished with patterning butts in different planes, there being one group of said butts for the transfer instruments and another group for the thread guides, and, at the aforesaid feeding station, two seleoting cams for action selectively upon the pattern-- ing butts of the respective groups, each of said cams being movable but only to such an extent as to enable it to be moved into any one of the planes of the butts in the corresponding group.

4. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, at least two needle beds, needles for operation in each of said beds, means for supplying main yarn to said needles, means for operating needles suohwise as to cause them to produce .purl stitcheffects, means for operating needles to form loops from said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments furnished with operating butts and over which some of the loops can be drawn, a cam system comprising cams for action on said butts to impart advancing and retracting movements to the transfer instruments, means for actuating needles in conjunction with said instruments suchwi se as to enable a loop to be transferred from any desired transfer instrument toat least one adjacent needle, a plurality of individually operable lap thread guides which are also furnished with operating butts and adapted to feed embroidery threads to needles, 9. further cam system comprising cams for action upon the operating butts of the thread guides to advance and retract the latter in conjunction with operation of the needles so that desired embroidery threads are lapped around corresponding needles; selecting means for effecting selection of those transfer instruments and guides to be operated by the cams as aforesaid, and partsproviding a common track in which all of the operating butts are normally located, from which said butts are selectively diverted by the selecting means for admission to the cam systems and to which the said butts are eventually returned for re-selecticn.

5. A knitting machine comprising, in oombina-' tion, at least two needle beds, needles for operation in each of said bedsf'means for supplying main yarn to said needles, means for operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating needles to form loops from said yarn, independently oparable loop transfer instruments associated with the needles and over which some of the loops can be drawn, means so arranged and operable as only partially to advance selected transfer instruments to .an extent sufficient for the said instruments to collect, i. e., receive, without expanding loops of said yarn, means for subsef uently effecting co-operative operation of said ,tion in each of said beds, means at each of a plurality of feeding stations for supplying main yarn to said needles, means for operating needles suchwise s to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating plain needles to form loops from said yarn, independentlyoperable loop transfer instruments furnished with operating butts and over which some of the loops can be drawn, selecting means at each feeding station for effecting partial advancement of selected transfer instruments to an extent. sufficient for the said instruments to collect, i. e. receive, without expanding loops of said yarn, parts providing a track common to all of the feeding stations and to which the operating butts on selected transfer instruments are directed, cam means at one only of said feeding stations for full? advancing said selected instruments so that the loops collected thereon are expanded, means for actuating appropriate needles so as to cause them to penetrate and receive the expanded loops, and embroidery mechanism for feeding embroidery threads to desired needles, and causing the latter to take said threads.

'7. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, at least two needle beds, needles for operationin each of said beds, means at each of a plurality of feeding stations for supplying main yarn tosaid needles, means for operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating plain needles to form loops from said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments furnished with operating butts and over which some of the loops can be drawn, selecting means at each feeding station for effecting partial advancement of selected transfer instruments to an extent sufficient for the said instruments to collect, i. e. receive, without expanding loops of said yarn, parts providing a track common to all of the feeding stations and to which the operating butts on selected transfer instruments are directed, cam means for fully advancing said selected instruments so that the loops collected thereon are expanded and for thereupon retracting said instruments, means for actuating appropriate needles so as to cause them to penetrate and receive the expanded loops, a plurality of individually operable lap thread guides which are also furnished with operating butts and adapted to feed embroidery threads to needles, a further cam. system comprising cams at each feeding station for action upon the operating butts of the thread guides to advance and retract the latter in conjunction with operation of the needles so that desired embroidery threads are lapped around corresponding needles, additional selecting means at each feeding station for effecting selection of those lap thread guides to be operated by the appropriate came at that station, and parts providing a common track in which all of the op-- erating butts on the transfer instruments and thread guides are normally located, from which said butts are selectively diverted by the respective selecting means for admission to the cam systems and to which thesaid butts are eventually returned for rte-selection.

8. A knitting machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the operating buttson the transfer ill-=- struments and those on the thread guides are of respectively dilierent lengths (long and short) and the cams for action on th long butts are of vidually operable lap thread guides for feeding embroidery threads to needles, means for operatiii less thickness than the remainingcams, for the purpose herein specified.

9. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, at least two needle beds, needles for operation in each of said beds, means for supplying main yarn to said needles, means for operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating plain needles of the machine to form loops from said yarn, transfer instruments independently operable in conjunction with plain needles to effect lateral transference of desired loops to appropriate needles, a carrier in which said transfer instruments are arranged, a plurality of individually operable lap thread guides for feeding embroidery threads to needles, said guides being mounted for operation in the same carrer as the transfer instruments, means for so operating said guides and actuating needles that desired embroidery threads are lapped around'appropriate needles, a hinged door which is provided in association with the said carrier and adapted when opened to provide space for the insertion and removal of transfer instruments and lap thread guides into and from the carrier, and screw means for positively opening and closing the door.

10. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, opposed plain and rib needle beds, needles for operation in each of said beds, inside holding down sinkers in the plain needle bed, means for moving said sinkers back and forth in timed relation with actuation of needles, means for supplying main yarn to said needles, means for operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating plain needles to form loops from said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments associated with said plain needles and over which some of the loops can be drawn, means for advancing and retracting loop transfer instruments in conjunction with actuation of appropriate plain needles to enable loops to be expanded by desired transfer instruments and transferred laterally from the latter to'adjacent needles, the front portion of the holding down sinker at the point where transfer instruments are advanced for the transference of loops being of angular form to prevent expanded loops from sliding beneath the said sinker at such times as it moves forward, and means for feeding embroidery threads to desired needles and causing same to take said threads.

11. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, two olmosed needle beds, needles for operation in each of said beds means for supplying main yarn to said needles'means for operating needles suchwise as to cause them to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating needles to form loops from said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments associated with the needles in one-of the beds and over which some of the loops can be drawn, means for sald'guides and for actuating needles so that desired embroidery threads are lapped around corresponding needles, and means for effecting chogging movement of at least the lap thread guides and the appropriate needle bed, one in relation to the other, for the purpose herein described. I

12. A knitting machine comprising, in combination, a plain needle cylinder, an axially opposed operating plain needles to form loops from the said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments associated with plain needles and over which some of the loops can be drawn, means for effecting co-operative operation of the loop transfer instruments and plain needles suchwise as o enable a loop to be transferred laterally from any desired transfer instrument to anadjecent plain needle, a dial in which the transfer instriunents are arranged, said dial being mounted within the needle circle concentrically therewith, a plurality of individually operable lap threadguides, which are also arranged in the said dial for feeding embroidery threads to needles in the plain cylinder, means for operating said guides and for actuating plain needles so that desired embroidery threads are lapped,

around corresponding plain needles, and means for shogging the dial clrcumferentially to the ex-' needles from one bed to the other and thereby enable the machine to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating plain needles to form loops from the said yarn, independently operable loop transfer instruments associated with plain needles and over which some of the loops can be drawn, means for effecting co-operative operation of the loop transfer instruments and plain needles suchwise as to enable a loop to be transferred laterally from any desired transfer instrument to an adjacent plain needle,-

a dial in which the transfer instruments are arranged, said dial being mounted within the needle circle concentrically therewith, a plurality of individually operable lap thread guides which are also' arranged in the said dial for feeding embroidery threads to needles in the plain cylinder, means for operating said guides and for actuating plain needles so that desired embroidery threads are lapped around corresponding plaln needles, and mechanism for effecting turning movements of the dial 111- action upon the stepped cam to turn the latter and hence also the disc cam to a desired extent in one direction or the other, and a slide which is attached to the dial and furnished with rollers for action upon the disc cam whereby the said dial can be shogged to the extent required in one direction or the other.

14. A circular knitting machine comprising, in combination, a plain needle cylinder, an axially opposed needle cylinder, double-ended needles for operation in said cylinders, means for supplying main yarn to said needles, sliders for actuating the needles, means for operating the sliders to transfer needles from the plain cylinder to the opposite cylinder thereby to produce purl stitch effects, means for operating needles to knit the main yarn, a dial mounted concentrically with the cylinders, independent loop transfer in-' struments operable in said dial for reception of loops of the main yarn, means for effecting conjoint operation of the loop transfer instruments and associated needles suchwise as to enable a loop to be transferred laterally from any desired loop transfer instrument to an adjacent needle, a plurality of individually operable lap thread guides also operatively arranged in said dial for feeding embroidery threads to appropriate needles, and means for so operating said guides that their embroidery threads are lapped around desired needles.

HENRY HAROLD HOLMES. JOHN CYRIL HERBERT HURD. 

